Birmingham Council could go bankrupt in 18 months, MP warns

A MP has warned Birmingham City Council could go bankrupt in just over a year, as calls mount for a local leadership rethink.

Speaking to the House of Commons, Gisela Stuart MP for Edgbaston warned of a bleak financial future for the region’s city council and piled further pressure on local leaders to put in place a directly elected mayor.

‘In 18 months' time, on the current trajectory, the city could go bankrupt,’ Stuart said in a debate attended by communities secretary Eric Pickles.

Leader of Birmingham City Council Sir Albert Bore recently warned the town hall would ‘need to completely rethink’ its role and structure due to the scale of required budget cuts.